But things changed about four years ago. Gibson hit a growth spurt. His times went down and his commitment to swimming went up.

Gibson transferred to St. Augustine Prep after spending his freshman year at Washington Township. Now a senior who specializes in freestyle sprints, Gibson is a key member of a team that is No. 1 in South Jersey in The Inquirer Super Six and set to pursue its fourth consecutive state title.

Gibson has best times this season of 21.73 seconds in the 50 freestyle and 47.90 in the 100 freestyle. He also is a key member of the Hermits' relay teams.

Oh. And he still thinks swimming is fun.

Question: How long have you been serious about swimming?

Answer: When I was younger, it was something I just did for fun. It was something I liked to do with my friends. Then when I got a little older, I started to get better and better and I started to take the sport more seriously.

Q: Was there a moment or a season when it started to click for you?

A: I was fooling around with one of my friends at Greenwood Park and he was like half-a-pool length ahead of me and we decided to race and I ended up beating him by a body length. That made me realize I could do pretty well.

Q: Why did you transfer to St. Augustine Prep?

A: My times were decent at Washington Township when I was a freshman but I knew how serious the sport is at The Prep and I wanted to be a part of it.

Q: Was it an adjustment going to an all-boys school?

A: I thought it was kind of odd that there were no girls around. But it works out OK. Guys can just be guys and they don't have to act all fake because there are girls around.

Q: What are your plans for next year?

A: I haven't made up my mind. I'm looking at places like TCNJ, Marymount, West Chester, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and Xavier. I definitely want to swim in college.

Q: Got a favorite subject in school?

A: History. I like Psychology, too. But world history is fascinating to me.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: I play the trumpet and guitar. I spend a lot of time just fooling around with the guitar with my friends. We play a lot of video games, too.